Fodder-cutter



v, t ,e e h4 S s t e e h S 2 QM E T A B .nr m. d 0 M 0 m FODDER GUTTER.

Patented Mar. 22, 1892.

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S. E T

. A B R W PODDBR GUTTER. y

Patented Mar. 22, 1892.

lNo. 471,250.

Udifgas-szs PATENT muon.

WILLIAM F. BATES, OF DAVENPORT, NEBRASKA.

FODDER- CUTTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 471,250, dated March22, 1892*.

Application filed J' une 9 1 8 91.

To all whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM F. BATES, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Dav` enport, in the county ofThayer and State of Nebraska, have invented a new and usefulFodder-Cutter, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to harvesters, and more especially to that classthereof which are adapted for use in cutting fodder, although the samemay be employed for other purposes, if desired. l

The object of. the invention is to produce certain improvements indevices of this char- Referring to the said drawings, the letter Fdesignates the frame work supported at its front end by a large wheel Wand at its rear end by wheels to, mounted in swiveled frames, as shownin Fig. 1. The power to draw this device, it will be understood, isprovided by means of horses hitched to the frame -work and traveling infront of the same, as usual.

U Uare uprights rising from the frame, and journaled in their upper endsis a horizontal shaft H, having disks or hubs 7L on its outer ends, inwhich are secured radially-projecting L-shaped arms L, forming the reel.

G G2 are sprocket-wheels secured, respectively, to the axle of the frontsupportingwheel W and mounted on the shaft H', and these wheels areconnected by a chain belt o, leading over a sprocket-Wheel G', keyed ona shaft H', journaled in the upper end of the yoke Y and by another beltc', leading from another wheel g' on said shaft to the wheel G2 on theshaft H. By this means the forward motion of the machine drives the reelin the Aproper direction, as will be understood.

K K are the knives setat oblique angles in the frame-work and F' F' arefingers mounted on said frame work and extending forward- Serial No.395,681. (No model.)

from the outer ends of the knives, whereby the fodder is directedagainst the cuttingedges of the knives at the same time that it iscaused to fall to the rear by the reel.

For the purpose of adjusting the height from the ground at which theknives shall cut the fodder I employ the following devices: f designatesslots in the side bars of the framework F, which slots are struck oncurves around the axles of the rear wheels w as a center, and in theseslots the ends of the axles W' of the large front wheel W move up anddown. A is an arch mounted on the front end of the frame-'work andconnecting the side bars thereof, and Q is a lever pivotally connectedat its front end to the center of this arch. Y is a yoke whose ends areconnected to the front axle W', and whose center, where it curves overthe Wheel W, is pivotally connected with the lever Q. By this means,when the lever Q is operated, the yoke Y acts as a fulcrum, because itis supported by the axle of the Wheel W from the ground and the frontend of the lever raises and lowers the arch A, and with it theframe-work F and the knives K. The means I preferably employ foroperating this lever is a chain n, leading downward from the rear end ofthe lever over a pulley p, mounted in the framework F, and rearward toan operating-lever O', located adjacent the seat D' and preferably onthe other side thereof from the lever L', to which reference ishereinafter made. This lever O' moves over a toothed arc O2 and has theusual hand-pawl O3 engaging the teeth of said arc, whereby after thelever is adjusted to raise the front end of the frame to the desiredheight the pawl O3 is engaged with the arc to hold the lever, and hencethe frame, at its height. The weight of the frame causes its descentwhen permitted.

The letters T T designate tables hinged to the frame-work F at or neartheir transverse centers, and these tables stand at each side of thecenter of the frame and in rear of the knives and reel, so that as thestalks of fodder are cut and knocked over to the rear they will fallupon the tables in an obvious manner.

O O are open frames rising from the framework F and attached at theirupper ends to the uprights U, and through these frames project the upperends of inclined guiding-arms IOO or cut-offs I, which are connectedtothe tables. These eut-offs are retracted when the tables are down, sothat their extremities stand inside the frames 0,as seen in Fig. 5; butwhen the tables are dumped, as seen in Fig. 2, the cut-oils areprojected outward through the frames, so as to prevent the stalks whichare then cut-that is, while the tables are dumped from falling over tothe rear, although as soon as the tables resume their horizontalpositions and the arms I are thereby withdrawn what stalks haveaccumulated will be allowed to fall upon the then horizontal tables.

The letterB designates a bar sliding in eyes 'i longitudinally beneaththe frame-work F,

and L is a lever pivoted between its endsV to said frame-work, its lowerend being connected by a link Z with the bar B and its npper end risingalongside the drivers seat D. This bar is connected byoutwardly-divergent links D with the tables T near their inner edges,said links being linked into eyes t" at their ends and being of suchlength that when the bar is drawn to the rear the tables will be tiltedoutward, so as to dump the stalks to the sides of the machine; but whenthe bar B is moved forward the links D will draw the tables back to ahorizontal position. In this manner the stalks as they are out and fallupon the tables may be dumped to the sides of the machine at occasionalintervals, it being understood, as above described, that while thetables are in dumped position no additional stalks will be thrown by thereel backward onto said tables.

In order to prevent the stalks from falling or rolling off the tables, Iprovide retainingarms R. These are of approximate U shape, their endsrising from the edges of the tables and above the upper faces thereofand their bodies being pivoted in eyes d2 across the lower faces of thetables. The outer ends of these arms rise to a considerable height, andthe inner ends are connected by links Z" with the central longitudinalbar of the framework F. These links are of such length that when thetablesT are horizontal the ends of the retaining-arms R will be upright;but when the tables are dumped by the mechanism above described andtheir inner edges rise from a horizontal plane these links will swingabout their rear ends, which are connected with the frame-work F andwill draw downward upon the innerends of the arms R. The result will bethat said arms will be rocked in their eyes 2 to such positions thattheir ends will stand alongside the edges of the tables T and completelyout of the way of the stalks, which are then sliding outward oft theinclined tables. Thus it will be seen that while these retaining-armsare useful for holding the stalks upon the tables while the latter' arein horizontal position, as soon as they are dumped to throw the stalksoit the tables the hitherto upright ends of the arms are turned topositions alongside the edges of the tables just in time to permit thestalks to slide oit the same.

Considerable change may be made in the details el' construction withoutdeparting from the spirit of my invention, and several of the parts ofthe machineinaybe used without the other parts.

lVhat is claimed as new isl. In a fodder-cutter, the combination, withthe frame-work mounted upon supportingwheels and inclined knives at thefront corners of said frame-work, of tables mounted on longitudinalhinges on the frame-work in rear of said knives, a bar slidinglongitudinally in eyes beneath the frame, an operating-lever connectedto said bar, and divergent arms linked at their front ends to said barand at their rear ends to the tables inside the hinges of thelatter,substantially as described.

2. In afodder-entter, the combination, with the frame-work mounted uponsupportingwheels and knives at the front corners of said frame-work, oftables hinged longitudinally on the frame-Work in rear of the saidknives, means for tilting said tables outward, U- shaped retaining-armswhose bodies are pivoted in eyes across and beneath the tables and whoseends extend upward when the tables are horizontal, and links connectingathe inner ends of said arms with the framework, as and for the purposeset forth.

3. In a fodder-cutter, the combination, with the frame-work, knives atthe front corners thereof, fingers adjacent said knives, tables hingedlongitudinally on said frame-work in rear of the knives,outwardly-inclined eutoits rising from the inner edges of said tables,and means for tilting the latter outward, of a rotating reel journaledin uprights forward of said tables, and rearwardly-extending open framesconnected to said uprights and in which the tips of said cut-oifs standwhen the tables are horizontal, but through which said arms project whenthe tables are tilted, as and for the purpose set forth.

It. In a fodder-cutter, the combination, with the frame-work, knives atthe front thereof, and ingers adjacent said knives, of tables hingedlongitudinally on the frame-work, means for tilting them outward,U-shaped retaining-arms whose bodies are pivoted in the eyes across andbeneath the tables, and means for folding the ends of said armsalongside the edges of the tables simultaneously with the tilting of thelatter', as, and for the purpose hereinbefore set forth.

5. In a fodder-cutter, the combination, with the frame-work having slotsin its side bars near their front ends, supporting-wheels at the rearends thereof, a front axle passing through said slots and having a frontsupporting-wheel, and a yoke mounted on said axle and extending over thewheel, of an arch on the front of the frame-work, a lever pivotallyconnected to said arch and to the yoke, knives on the frame-work, andmeans for opperatin g said lever, substantially as described.

IOO

IIO

6. In afodder-cutter, the combination, with the frame-work having slotsin its side bars near their front ends, a front axle passing throughsaid slots and having a front sup- 5 porting-wheel, a yoke on said aXleover the wheel, knives on the frame-work near its front end, and wheelssupporting the rear end of the frame-Work, of an arch on the front endof the frame-Work, a lever pivot-ally conro nected to the arch and tothe yoke, a chain leading from said lever downward over a pulley on theframe-Work and rearward to the drivers seat, and an operating-lever atthat point to which the chain is connected, substantially ashereinbefore described. 15

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in presence of two Witnesses.

' WM. F. BATES. Witnesses:

W. H. JENNINGS,

M. BOLTON.

